Home Sweet Home
by Scrappy LeMonte
Summary: The third story in my Alternate Universe series. No angst, lots of romance. Catherine and Vincent build their house, with help. There is conflict about which wedding ceremony to use, human or Mayopelley. We learn a little about Father's history, and the origin of the commune. We start to explore the romantic relationships of the other characters.
1. Chapter Nine - Framing

"So, Portia's job was to insist to my brothers and brothers-in-law that you have a bachelorette party, because you knew that they would seize on the idea, and insist on giving me a bachelor party."

"Yes."

It was sunny, clear and warm already, and it was only nine a.m. She and Vincent had been at the site of their house for two hours, sawing lengths of wood for the plates, joists, studs, headers. Vincent was running the saw, pausing now and then to talk; Catherine was moving lumber from the pile to him, and re-stacking the cut lengths.

"However, you were not having a bachelorette party, but were creating an excuse to spend the night away from the commune."

"Yes."

"You were, in fact, spending the night in _Dosal Dayeh_, along with Lisa, Mouse and Cullen. Those three didn't need a cover story, because I don't care where they spend their nights."

She laughed. "Correct, again."

"If they had not abducted me, you would simply have left with Portia, and gone with her to _Dosal Dayeh_, and rendezvoused with your partners. So it served your plans perfectly when my idiot brothers and friends dragged me out, because not only did it take me out of the picture for the night and shift my focus off you and onto myself, it was inevitable that some of us would drink too much, and have to play hung over."

"That was a f-i-i-ne piece of serendipity."

"So the four of you had a good night's sleep, a nice breakfast, and then, in the morning, you had plenty of time to camouflage yourselves, and take your positions."

"Yep."

"And then Birnam wood removed to Dunsinane. You sat there at dinner, and told us what you were going to do, and we still didn't catch on." He shook his head.

"I think our camouflage was too good, we were moving too slowly, and you were too hung over to spot us. Why did you drink so much?"

"I didn't. I had two beers, but they spiked them. I must've passed out. When everyone else finished their evening, they dumped me in the dirt in front of the farm house on their way home. I don't remember the last time I was that sick."

"Oh, Vincent…I feel badly…you bore the brunt of the suffering that day, and you didn't deserve it…"

"That's right. I suffered terrible, terrible hardship…" He sighed, and glanced at her to make sure she was watching his display of pain.

"I just wonder if there's any way I could make it up to you?" She caressed his arm.

"I'll try to think of something…" He bent his head down and slowly, gently, rubbed his cheek to hers. He brushed his lips over hers, then kissed her softly, lingeringly, with open eyes. He pulled away, smiling softly. "…something involving your sweet, naked body…"

He returned his attention to the boards, leaving her to negotiate the wetness in her panties. She shifted position a bit. After a moment, she spoke.

"You know, I've been curious about Colm, Hugh and Alby. What kind of trouble are they in for defecting to the human side?"

"No, nothing." He sawed a few planks. "It's not like we're organized, or anything," he looked at her meaningfully, teasing, "certainly not like _you_. You had the humans working with clockwork precision…like diamond cutters…" He trailed off into a growl and sawed some more planks. "Anyway, they have enough trouble. They're crazy about those girls, and ready to join. Ha, 'ready' isn't the right word, it's closer to 'anxious'. But the girls are truly conflicted about joining with a Mayopelley versus a human." He sawed some more planks.

"Isn't it just a matter of who the girls are more attracted to?"

"I'm ready for some water. Let's sit down." They walked to an oak tree, sat at its base, and rested their backs on its trunk. Catherine pulled out two bottles of water from the cooler, and handed one to Vincent. He continued, "Those girls grew up on this farm, so they've spent a lifetime listening to men complaining about women being disloyal to their species by joining with a _Mayopelley_. But at the same time, how could any woman say 'no' to all this?" he asked, gesturing to himself.

Catherine laughed, then shook her head and sighed. "I laugh, but I can't say 'no'. She reached over and laced her fingers through his.

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "My Queen," he murmured. She pulled his hand in hers to her lips, and returned the kiss. She chuckled. "'Palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.'"

"'O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.'" He leaned over, and kissed her softly. Pulling away, he rubbed his nose to hers.

"Dinner with my family on Sunday," he said as he leaned back on the oak, and took a long pull of water.

She tried, but couldn't squelch her reaction before he felt it.

He almost spit out his water. "'Again?'" he said with her feelings of astonishment, dread, protest. "'Again?'" he repeated. "I can't read your thoughts, but that was a damn powerful feeling."

She was holding her forehead in her hand. She looked up. "We're over there a lot."

"And?"

"It's just a lot. I like them; I enjoy myself while I'm there. But every week is a lot."

"There's some place you'd rather be? There's something you'd rather be doing?"

"The only place I want to be is with you."

He looked at her for a moment, head cocked to one side. "Okay, well, I'll be at my parents' on Sunday. If you want to be with me, that's where I'll be."

"Look, you don't have to be obnoxious about it. I'm-"

"'Again?' Who's obnoxious?"

"You're going to have to make some allowances, and not jump on me for my spontaneous feelings. I didn't say a word. You're going to have to limit your reactions to my expressed feelings."

"Do you hear yourself? This isn't a courtroom, Counselor, we're not constrained by any kind of bullshit rules of evidence! Oh, yes, we _are_ going to talk about your honest feelings-"

"You want feelings? Here's one: I have the feeling that I'll never know if there's anything I'd rather be doing-"

"—especially your honest feelings about my family, the most important thing in the world to me-"

"—because there's only twenty-four hours in a day, and we're spending them _all_ with your family!"

"-after you. They come after you."

They stopped talking abruptly, and sat staring at each other.

Catherine blinked. "You pushed my buttons. You reached out with your fuzzy little fingers," she smiled at him, and he smiled back, "and you pushed my buttons, and I let you. I let you get to me, and so easily, too." She shook her head. "I really trust you."

"Forgive me, Beloved, but I wanted to get to the heart of the matter, and it's not that you equivocate, although you do-"

She laughed.

"-but rather, if you let the words just fall out, you find out what the real issue is. Sometimes, we really don't know what's at the root of our unhappiness.

"I heard you say 'there are only twenty-four hours in a day'. Perhaps your feeling is that if you spend a minute doing one thing, it's a minute taken away from another thing."

"Exactly."

"Hmmm, perhaps life in New York is like that, fast paced, you have to multi-task? Yes? Life's not like that, here. Here, we have plenty of time."

"I'm still struggling with my time demons…"

He reached out and brushed her hair off her face. He leaned close to her. "Kiss me?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Again? _Again_? Are you kidding?" She twisted her face away from him.

"I just kissed you, and now here you are _again_-"

He grabbed a big handful of her hair close to her scalp and turned her head to face him.

"Very well," he murmured, "I'll _take_ what I want." He had meant to kiss her lightly, but her resistance and his hold on her aroused him, and her. He kissed her deeply, passionately, and gave his imagination free reign; it soared on erotic wings. His free hand was less than an inch away from cupping her breast, and he almost didn't have the strength to fight down his desire plus hers, urging him on.

Slowly, still breathing deeply, Vincent pulled back. "Father should be here soon."

She grabbed his wrist and clenched it hard. "Tonight we meet—and we finish this," she snarled through clenched teeth.

He fell back against the oak; he cleared his throat. "Catherine…" She kissed his fingers before releasing his hand.

"Hellooo!" a dozen voices called out from a few hundred feet away. Father, Mary, Kanin, Cullen, Mouse, Jamie, Olivia, William…it looked like practically the whole commune was on their way to the site.

"I thought you said Father. This is almost everyone," Catherine asked.

"Everyone has a part to play. I won't be able to stand up for a few minutes."

Catherine chuckled. "Fear the power I wield over you, puny mortal! Mwa-ha-ha!" she cried in the deep voice of a sorceress persona. She reverted to her normal voice, "We can say your foot fell asleep." She stood and waived.

As they neared, Catherine and Vincent's closest neighbors, whose house stood about fifty feet away, came out and joined the approaching group.

"Vincent, I don't understand. Two men just came out of that house. Our neighbors are two men. I thought you said you get a house when you get married?"

The mention of his neighbors worked like a tonic on Vincent, a debilitating, flaccidity inducing tonic. He stood up next to Catherine.

He sighed. "Yes, you haven't yet met Adam and Steve."

It took a moment for Vincent's meaning to register with Catherine. "What? Gay people? Here? How?"

"The commune recognizes gay marriage. It's the _Mayopelley_ that do not. To their credit, they have adopted four children from the foster care system, and they have had no less than fifty foster children."

"How do you function? Do you have to stay out of their sight?"

"They only foster and adopt children with severe mental and physical handicaps. Some have been on ventilators; none have been able to walk."

The group reached the site. Father spoke.

"Brothers and Sisters, let us join hands. On this day we celebrate, and we are joyful. Our hearts are overflowing because Vincent and Catherine, our beloved Brother and Sister, have chosen to bond in matrimony. Their hearts are bursting with happiness in the love they have found, and we gather to help them provide a home for this new family. Let us all reach out to that great spirit of love that fills us and guides us, and wish all happiness and love live with them all the days of their lives."

Everyone cheered and applauded. "Thank you. We love you," Vincent said simply.

And then everyone went into motion. If the Capture the Flag game was diamond cutting, then building a house was a bee hive. Every house that had been built was the same, and every member of the commune had a particular part of the house they specialized in working on. Father led the work on the walls; his specialty was creating a strong structure. Mary and William led the work on the kitchen; their specialty was creating a warm, loving hearth. Mouse was a genius with electrical wiring, and Randolph was a master plumber. Winslow drove up with a backhoe and dug trenches for the utilities, then the pit for the septic field. Kanin shaped stones for the fireplace and the exterior. Jamie was the HVAC specialist, and she would work closely Kanin and Olivia on the fireplaces. Cullen was more akin to a conductor than a carpenter, and kept the entire job organized.

Catherine was astonished. As the only generalist on the job site, she was pulled in dozens of different directions as people called for help, holding or hammering. Cullen called her and Father over to help frame the turret. "The studs are going to be six inches on center, so there's going to be a lot of hammering," he said.

"Catherine, how are you holding up?" Father asked.

"Great," she said smiling.

They talked as they worked.

"Even if you hadn't, I suppose Vincent would've let me know about any problems," he said. "You know, Catherine, I've never seen him so happy. I hope he makes you as happy as you make him."

"He's the one I've been waiting for."

"He said the same thing about you. Smart, kind, sense of humor, and not intimidated by him."

"Yes, he has very strong opinions."

"Yes, but more so the yelling, the growling-"

Catherine laughed. "Don't forget the throwing things."

Father laughed. "He was truly surprised that none of it bothered you."

"He was, he is, so gentle with me, always, Father. Feeding me, cleaning me, dressing me…and he never stopped reaching out to me. I've never trusted anyone more than I trust him. Of course, I never really trusted anyone until I met him."

"He is a remarkable person. Even when he was a child he had an insight beyond his years."

"You knew Vincent as a child?"

"Oh, my, Catherine, you know next to nothing about most of us."

"Vincent's told me some. I know your actual name is Dr. Jacob Wells, and you started this commune twenty-five years ago. I know that everyone calls you 'Father' because you adopted several children from a small town close to Kansas City after their parents died, and you raised them here."

"Correct, as far as it goes."

"Maybe you could flesh it out a little?"

Father chuckled. "You may have noticed my accent, or as I think of it, my lack of an American accent. I moved from Colchester, in England, to Boston, Massachusetts with my family when I was seven years old. My parents were both teachers. My father was a college math professor. My mother was a grade school teacher. I have one brother, three years older.

"We lived in a nice house in the suburbs, and my brother and I went to fine schools. I met my beautiful wife at university, got married and became a surgeon. We had one child; Devin is my son, you might not have met him yet.

"It was about thirty years ago, I got a call from The Medical Center of Independence asking me if I could possibly perform surgery on some cancer patients for a reduced fee. They said these patients were from Sugar Creek, which is a very small town close to Kansas City, Missouri. These patients had been employees of an oil refinery in Sugar Creek, but the refinery had closed a few years earlier, so they didn't have any health insurance.

"Catherine, there were dozens of them, all with the same type of stomach cancer; it had already killed dozens. There were others, almost a hundred people, who had leukemia. Nothing helped any of them. We carved them up, we shot them full of chemotherapy, we radiated them—we _nuked_ them, but they still died. Terminal, every one of them.

"Sadly, you always find more of these types of cancers in people who live near petroleum refineries. The refining process creates toxic by-products and waste products, namely benzene, which causes leukemia when inhaled, and hydrocarbons, which cause stomach cancer when ingested. The refinery tried to dispose of their wastes by dumping them into sludge pits. They dug huge holes in the ground, and dumped their waste in. Well, the waste products, including the hydrocarbons, seeped down into the water table. Tragically, Sugar Creek got its water supply from ground water. The benzene just rose up into the air, and people breathed it in."

"All that is _so_ illegal."

"It's hard to fight now, it was harder to fight thirty years ago. Plus, Sugar Creek was a very small town, perhaps a thousand residents, while the refinery was a very powerful corporation; it was almost impossible to take a stand against them. It was quite a mess, lots of lawyers, environmental groups, the refinery and the professional associations for the oil industry, and everybody had representation. Everybody except Cullen, Kanin, Olivia, Winslow, Rachel, Randolph, William, Scott, Lisa and Lena. They were children, their parents were dead, they didn't have relatives willing or able to take them in, and they were going into foster care. So my wife and I adopted them and bought this farm, as far away as we could get from any kind of industry. Quite a few of the residents wanted to come, too, they'd had enough of the brutality of civilization, the injustice of the justice system. And a lot of them had grown up on farms, so they were invaluable in getting us established here."

"Where does Vincent fit in?"

He smiled, and reached out and touched her arm. "Vincent was my wife's nephew. Yes, Vincent's father was my wife's brother. That's how we found this farm, Riordan told us about it. By the way, Mary and Sarah are sisters." He laughed at Catherine's surprised face.

He sobered. "Yes, Riordan and my wife were brother and sister. She passed on three years ago."

"I'm so sorry."

"Yes, she had an abdominal aortic aneurysm which we didn't know about, and it ruptured. I'm actually grateful it happened the way it did. We'd had a nice day, nothing special going on, just the usual routine, but it was nice. Dinner was nice, very pleasant. We were sitting in the great room, cuddled up on the couch. Our jazz quartet was playing, and Daria—her name was Daria—she and I danced a little, but mostly we just sat and listened, and all our kids were there. And she just slipped away."

"That sounds like a very gentle, loving way to pass, Father."

"She was a wonderful woman. She made me a better man." Catherine hugged him.

The children were in charge of food and water. At noon, Zach and the children delivered lunch in a battered pickup, laying on the horn as they arrived.

Vincent came out of the structure to see the children setting up long folding tables, spreading out sandwiches, pots of soup and fruit, and Catherine helping with the turret roof, which was being framed on the ground. They picked out some sandwiches and fruit, and joined Cullen sitting in the grass.

"Catherine's been awesome on framing the turret," said Cullen. "She can drive in a nail in three blows."

"She loves those turrets," said Vincent, smiling.

"I do," she agreed.

"How's your arm?" asked Vincent.

"Okay."

"Everyone will probably go to the springs tonight. It would be a good idea for us to go and soak your shoulder," said Vincent.

"You know, we're all going to go; I would love it if the kids could set up a bar-be-que there," said Cullen. "William!" he called, "how about a bar-be-que at the hot springs tonight?"

"Yeah, sure," William agreed. "Zach?"

"Can do!" Zach called out. A cheer went up.

Mary came over. Catherine took her plate from her, while Vincent helped her lower herself down to the ground.

"Catherine, I see you're learning house construction quickly," she said. "We'll probably get the rough-in done tomorrow, then start hanging sheetrock."

Catherine was shaking her head. "This is moving at light speed. I can't believe it."

"It will slow down a little as we do the finish work, because we use smaller crews," said Vincent. "But it should be done in a few weeks." A smile lit his face as he felt her excitement.

"So, Catherine, we need to get started on planning your ceremony and sewing your gown."

"Planning the ceremony?" echoed Brooke from where she sat.

"Planning the ceremony?" echoed Jennifer.

"We're planning the ceremony?" asked Emily.

"We're planning the ceremony?" asked Claire.

"Why wasn't there an announcement?" asked Lisa as she moved with the other women to surround Catherine.

Vincent and Cullen were shoved out of the way as the women converged on Catherine. They were barely able to scoop up their food and drinks and get out of the way.

"Our ceremonies are beautiful, Catherine, you will love it."

"We'll show you pictures of the gowns we've sewn for Olivia and Ruth and Clarisse, and everyone, and you can decide everything, neckline, sleeves, waistline—"

"—and the lace and embroidery, and beading—"

"And we'll talk about your vows—"

"Flowers!"

"Music!"

And then they were all talking at once, giggling, whispering, screaming now and then.

Vincent and the men sat away from them, watching silently, chewing thoughtfully, considering them.

Zach and Geoffrey joined them. They were silent for a moment, then Cullen spoke.

"They are, roughly, three-fourths of our size. They have maybe half our strength. They have no apparent organization. And yet…" he let his sentence trail off.

"They rule you," finished Geoffrey.

"They don't even have to raise their voices; sometimes, they just give you a look…" said Scott.

"…and you obey," finished Zach. "It's pathetic."

"And inevitable," said Cullen.

"We're doomed," said Geoffrey.

"Say, Adam," said Steve, raising his voice loud enough for Vincent to hear. His name actually was Steve.

"Yes, Steve?" said Brian. These were Vincent's neighbors. They'd been sitting fairly close by. They knew how Vincent felt about them: heartfelt, sincere disgust, but masked as much as the sum total of his strength allowed.

"If men, rather than women, organized weddings, what do you think they'd look like?" asked Steve.

"Well," said Brian, standing up and brushing himself off. "First off, what would we wear?"

Steve stood. "What's wrong with what we have on?" he asked, brushing himself off. They were big men, over six feet tall, and strongly built.

"These jeans cost someone over a hundred dollars when they were new. I picked them up for three dollars at the thrift store."

"Whatwhat? What? What?" said Steve.

They both sang the chorus of Macklemore's song, and the rest of the men chuckled; Vincent smiled.

"_I wear your granddad's clothes,_

_I look incredible!_

_I got this big ass coat_

_From the thrift store down the road!" _

"Yep, not a darn thing wrong with what we have on," asserted Steve.

"How about the flowers?" asked Brian.

Steve bent down and pulled up a dandelion flower and a purple thistle. A long blade of grass was caught up with the thistle. He handed them to Brian. "Fur ewe, hunny. Cuz yur so purdy."

"Aww, hunny…" said Brian in falsetto; he stuck the grass in his mouth and shuffled his feet. The gathered men laughed.

"How about the vows?" asked Cullen. He stood and joined them. "I'll be the preacher." He motioned them to approach him. They linked arms, and stomped three steps up to him. More laughter. "Deerly belov-ed, we air gathered here," and then he went into Foghorn Leghorn, "pay attention, son! I say, I say we are gathered he-ah, to join these two in holy matrimony. If anyone knows of any reason wha-ah these two should not be joined—except for you, Vincent—let him speak now."

"There won't be any PMS," yelled Randolph.

"There won't be any dominant video gamer!" yelled Scott.

"Neither one of them throws temper tantrums!" yelled Mouse.

"They'll have to call Vincent in for that!" yelled Winslow, and even Vincent laughed.

"Alright, alright!" yelled Cullen. He addressed the couple. "Steve—do you?" Cullen asked Steve.

"Ah dew," said Steve.

"Brian—do you?" Cullen asked Brian.

"She duz, tew," answered Steve. Brian batted his eyes and shuffled his feet. The men laughed.

"Ahem," said Mary. The women were all silent, staring at them.

The gathering of men quickly thinned, fading from the edges inward.

"There's a reason why you're still single, Cullen," hissed Claire as she walked by.


	2. Chapter Ten - Roughing In

Catherine leaned back against Vincent and sighed. He held her braced inside the circle of his left arm, while massaging her right shoulder with his right hand.

"Vincent, you've gotta stop," said Drew, smiling. "You keep spoiling her like that, and she's going to be impossible to live with."

The hot spring widened in this spot, to form a shallow pool. Five couples, including Vincent and Catherine, were soaking.

Dana, Drew's wife, was sitting next to him. "And how is he spoiling her?" she asked.

"One look at that smile on her face tells the whole story," he answered. "Keep it up, Vincent, and you'll ruin it for the rest of us. All the women will be demanding similar treatment."

"I think I'll demand some of that right now," said Dana, pointing to her back.

"See what I mean?" Drew asked Vincent with mock dismay as he started to rub Dana's shoulders.

"Maybe there is some treatment you should demand," said Abby. "For example, you should make it clear up front that you expect to have separate activities at least two evenings a week." Abby's husband, Blake, stared straight ahead.

Catherine looked back over her shoulder at Vincent. "At. A. Minimum," she said emphatically. They were sitting on a ledge; he used his near foot to slide her feet forward. He put his forearm under her chin to keep it above water, and he lowered her shoulder into the water.

"Yes," said Dalton, "and you should also agree in advance to what degree your in-laws will have a voice in your relationship." His wife, Julie, sat next to him. Her parents lived in the commune, also. She stared straight ahead, jaw set.

"I _absolutely_ could not agree more, Vincent, we will discuss-" he cut her off by cupping water in his right hand and dribbling it down her face.

"Yes, dearest," he said, staring straight ahead, but Catherine couldn't hear him over her own laughter.

"That's how to handle 'em, Vincent, right from the start," said Blake.

"You might be laughing now, Cathy, but once you find yourself saddled with children, the humor quickly fades," said Julie.

"_Children_? Oh, good _lord_, you didn't want _children_, did you?" cried Catherine. She felt him stiffen. "Okay," she sat up quickly and gripped his shoulders, "okay, that was supposed to be a joke, not funny, sorry, I _do_ want children, always have—Vincent, I want _your_ children. Sweetheart, your children, would give me so much joy-"

"How many?"

"Huh?"

"How many children do you want?"

"I dunno…how many do you want?"

"This is _not_ the bedroom question, Catherine! This is serious." Storm clouds were gathering in his eyes.

"Yes, I know it's serious, I'm not saying it's not serious, I take this _very_ seriously, and I am _absolutely_ committed to-"

He was up, out, down the footpath before she could say, "Aww, shit!"

She scrambled up, grabbed their towels, and tried to catch him, but he was too fast. _And anyway, what if he goes off the path? It's too dark for me to try to search for him. _Twilight was settling. She leaned against a pine to catch her breath before setting out for the farmhouse. _This is so unfair…children? Who the hell knows how many children they want? Children are something that happens 'someday', which, by definition, has not yet arrived. I've been so busy—_she stopped as she realized—_I've been so busy loving Vincent that I have not thought about one other thing, not a thing…_her heart filled with warmth. She smiled, and resumed the path. _Hmmm…how many children do I want? Boys? Girls? _

"Catherine!"

She turned and called back, "Vincent!"

They ran, and took each other's hands.

"I am _so_ sorry!" they both said at once.

"No, Catherine, it's me, not only did I ruin our first conversation about our future, I broke my promise to you that I would quit brooding."

"No, Vincent, it's me, it's not okay to joke about everything and I struck a nerve—"

"Which you had no way of knowing existed, because we've never talked about it, which means I have also failed you in leadership—"

Catherine closed her eyes for a moment. "Okay, stop, let's hit the 'reset' button. Let's stop beating ourselves up. We both wish we'd reacted a little differently. Lesson learned, next time we'll do better."

"_Seem, mayo ahmawthu easplainzhadu, minya muhler sabia…_" he bent down and kissed her.

"Vincent, when you speak your language, it's so beautiful, it makes me…feel all warm…and runny…" she whispered.

He smiled. "I said that you're right, you're a wise woman, my beloved _perola preciosa…" _He kissed her softly. "Let's have a real conversation," he murmured. He put his arm around her waist, and together they started walking, slowly, back to the farm house. "I'm very sensitive to the issue of children, obviously oversensitive." He sighed. "Catherine, I want them so much that I grieve because I am without them now; there is an emptiness aching in my heart."

Her turn to sigh. "I need to talk to you honestly, Vincent. Can you listen to me without getting upset?"

Guilt was a stabbing pain in his midsection. _God, how sad is this, she knows she has to ask._ "Yes, I promise."

"My feeling is that I would like to have children. But I have never made any plans, like when, how many years apart, or how many boys or girls. My life before now was different. Had I not come here, I would have married the most politically expedient man at the opportune juncture, and had the appropriate children at the decisive time."

"Marriage and children the result of strategy, logistics, no love?"

"That's right, there's no money in love, and no time for it, either. I suppose cheating on one's spouse was the romantic outlet of my old crowd. Everyone cheated."

"Everyone?" He tightened his arm around her waist.

She cleared her throat and clenched her fists. "I'm going to tell you the truth," she prefaced, "I cheated on every boyfriend I ever had."

"Planning to continue the pattern?"

She stopped. "What does your heart tell you?"

He closed his eyes and listened. "You are _meenya veetha_, my life, filled with purpose; _mayo koraso_, my heart, filled with love. I don't feel any room for betrayal." He opened his eyes to see her loving smile.

"So, children…my feeling is, and I'm talking off the top of my head here, but two or three boys, and two or three girls, but I would cherish whatever children we were blessed with, Vincent, because they would be _our_ children." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. She squirmed free. "But, Vincent, I want you all to myself for awhile, first. Can you agree to wait a year before we start a family?"

"Yes." _The Counselor is negotiating another contract…she's precious!_

They resumed their forward walk. "And then, how involved your family might be, you're not going to believe I'm saying this, but I think they need to be very involved; I don't know anything about children, how to take care of babies…then there's your culture, your language which I don't speak, but they'll need to learn. And then I suppose there are skills, hunting, fishing, athletics, they'll need to learn. And they have to learn who they are, and where and how they fit in to the community. And what if when they're grown, they don't want to live in this community? I do like the way the commune treats children. They have rules for every age, they're clear, and they have consequences for good and bad behavior; no hitting, just denying or granting privileges. I like that, I think the kids are happy, and they feel safe, and they know what to expect from day to day."

"I'm very glad you want to keep my family close, Catherine. Remember you have to be strong, or they'll run roughshod over you; but we are connected, and draw strength from each other."

The light dawned for Catherine. "That explains a lot about the arguing and the fighting. It's your way of setting boundaries."

"Absolutely. You have to let them know exactly when they're at their limit." He chuckled. "I guess they let me know when I'm at mine, too." He thought for a minute, then said, "Promise me you'll stand up to them when they push you too far."

"I promise. No problem." Her thoughts moved ahead. "Finances. Let's talk."

"Yes, I'll explain. The commune gives everyone a bundle of goods every week, groceries for the households, toiletries for everyone, clothes, medication, all the basics. Beyond that, everyone makes a monthly budget and submits it to the committee. We have a budget committee that meets every week. So you get your budget approved or partially approved, or they could deny it, but I don't recall that happening. And you can appeal their decision if you don't like it."

"Who's on the committee?"

"It rotates. Everyone takes a turn being on the committee." He paused; he felt a strange sensation, as if someone was lurking, watching… "Catherine—are you thinking about how to manipulate the committee?"

"Oops."

"Catherine…"

"Sorry, force of habit."

He sighed. "Here's a question that should occupy your mind: let's say it's six months from now. We're married, we're living in our house…what does your day look like?"

She went blank. "Hmmm…"

"Were you planning on following me around all day?"

"Is that an option?"

"No. When a new member joins the commune, they spend several months working at every job. There are a lot of jobs. There are domestic jobs you work inside the farm house, there are jobs in crop production, jobs taking care of the livestock. There's a lot to do. Once we're settled down, you can start the rotation."

"Do you have a particular job you do, Vincent?"

"I guess you'd call it maintenance. Winslow, Mouse and I fix things when they break, we fabricate tools, we fill in anywhere extra help is needed. We work on special projects, too."

They had arrived at the farm house. Soft music, clarinet and piano, floated through the open windows, _Tenderly._ "Sounds like Father and Roz," said Vincent. He looked down at her; he took her right hand in his left, and pulled her close with his right. They swayed rather than danced.

She looked up at him. "We _do_ have unfinished business…"

He smiled, and shook his head. "I'm getting tired of sneaking around like a teenager with you."

"Hmmm, it kind of turns me on to sneak around with you," she answered, and snuggled against him.

"Okay, I know a spot." He turned, and led her by the hand. "Got those towels? Great, I hate chiggers. And ticks. I'm glad the mosquitoes aren't too bad this year-"

"Ooo, yeah, baby…chiggers, ticks, mosquitoes…sexy talk about stinging, blood sucking bugs makes me hot, Player, how did you know?"

He rounded on her. "Sarcasm, Catherine?" He took a great handful of hair close to her scalp in his hand, leaned in, and put his lips close to hers. "I'll make you hot," he snarled. He kissed her roughly while she pretended to resist, but actually rubbed her body against his. He scooped her up in his arms, pulled her hair, nuzzled her neck and carried her off.


	3. Chapter Eleven - Finish Work

Catherine snuck a quick glance around the table. Most of them were staring at her. Everyone dropped their eyes quickly.

Riordan set down his fork. "Children," he began softly, "this is a little ridiculous, don't you think so?" His overture was met with silence. He looked at Sarah for help. She returned a steely glare of bitterness. Her boys had been hurt. If the atmosphere was a little uncomfortable, too bad.

Ultan sighed. "We met our match," he murmured.

"Catherine put us in our place," mumbled Rori.

"We got serrrrrved," muttered Tierney.

"Humbled. We were humbled," said Donal. Portia glared at Catherine.

"If we had merely been humbled, we wouldn't be angry. We weren't just humbled, we were humiliated," snapped Juliet.

As they continued to snipe at her, two or three at a time, Catherine got angry. _Aw, cry me a river, bitches! You got what you had coming._ After the Capture the Flag game, she and several other women helped Vincent clean up. He was dehydrated; he'd twisted his ankle badly, and was still suffering headache and nausea from his hang over. Once he was resting in a bed at the inn, all the women except Catherine joined the commune men in dishing out revenge to the _Mayopelley_ males. Catherine stayed and pushed fluids into Vincent, kept an ice pack on his head and one on his ankle, and massaged his cramped, aching muscles.

She waited for Vincent to defend her. She looked over at him; he looked like he was enjoying his dinner. _Well, I've got to make a decision…sit here and let them dish all this shit out on me, or tell them to shove it? Or I guess I could leave, I don't see any bars on the doors…of course, I haven't run away from a fight since…hmmm, I don't remember running from a fight…what's the worst thing that could happen? Vincent could get mad, he could side with his family against me—wait, he said they come after me. Oh, God, do I have enough faith to believe that? Maybe he thought he meant it when he said it, but now that the pressure is on, would he still feel that way? What if—what if-wait a minute—it's getting loud in here, hard to think—_

"Excuse me? HEY—SHUT UP! Really, shut the fuck up!" she yelled at them. Surprisingly, they shut up.

She spoke in a normal register. "I planned the game. That is all I planned. I did not plan the revenge. You assholes actually planned your own revenge. Ultan, they made you wear a dress and make-up because you made them wear dresses and make-up in the spring. Tierney, you had to wear a swim suit because you made the women wear swim suits. Rori, Donal…you made Steve and Brian kiss last year, which _they_ didn't have a problem with—DUH!—but _you_…well, it's your problem. _Your_ problem, not mine."

There were several minutes of silence, broken by Ultan. "I still remember Kanin wearing that dress," he said, smiling a little.

Cyndi and Tierney smiled at each other, recalling the benefits of the women wearing swim suits.

"Brian and Steve…" Rori began.

"Ewwww…" everyone except Catherine finished. And then they were all talking at once, recalling the hilarity of the past torture of the humans of the commune.

"I think you're missing the point, you need to treat other people the way you would like to be treated," said Catherine.

"Or, do unto others—FIRST!" yelled Ultan, and everyone, except Catherine, laughed.

~ o ~

"The blistering winds of your family's attack blew hot and cruel. Why didn't you defend me?"

Sitting side by side on the porch swing, they bathed in cool blue moonlight. Stars twinkled high above, dripping wind chime notes of whimsy on them. "Because that would have told them that you couldn't defend yourself. They'd never get off your back. You did great."

They settled back in the swing, and gazed at the stars. It occurred to Catherine that they looked cold, and lonely. Vincent hugged her shoulders. "What is it?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know, I just," she sighed, "I guess I was hoping, you know, I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I guess it's stupid, but I was _hoping_ that _maybe_ I could have a, you know, kind of a relationship with your sisters, or maybe a sister-in-law, you know…"

"But now you don't think that's possible? Why?"

"Well…if I have to worry about defending myself, and giving them the right impression, that's what I have to do with everyone else, so that puts them in the same category as everyone else."

"You have to keep your guard up with Everyone Else."

"Yes."

He kissed her head. "I don't think it's stupid at all to hope to become close to one of my sisters." He paused. "You could give it some time. You could spend time with them, get to know them, let them get to know you a little. Then see if there's anyone you want to get closer to."

"Hmmm…well, maybe…yeah, I guess so…"

"Oh, yes, give it some time, my love. Because the better they get to know you, the more they will love you. That's how it works for me. I learn something new about you every day."

~ oo ~

"Ugh, I'm getting confused…" moaned Catherine, holding her head. It had been a long day at the job site. Their home was very close to being finished. Dinner was over, and they were spending the evening trying to plan the wedding.

"Me, too," wailed Lena, and a chorus of feminine agreement rose up around her.

All the women of the commune, Vincent's mother and all of his sisters and sisters-in-law were gathered in the dining room of the farm house.

The men lurked in the kitchen and around the perimeter of the dining room, surreptitiously surveilling the session.

Mary was beginning to show signs of exasperation. "There's no reason to be confused! It's simple: we use the _Mayopelley_ ceremony to the point where the bride and groom join hands. Then, we insert the traditional reciting of the vows we use in the commune. Then, we pick up the Mayopelley ceremony where the bride and groom receive the candles and the roses."

Sarah was also becoming exasperated. "I'll say it again, Mary, you can't do that. If you add things to the _Mayopelley_ ceremony, it ceases to be the _Mayopelley_ ceremony."

"Oh-oh," said Devin, "here comes the explosion."

"They're just talking," countered Winslow.

"Oh, no, there's way too much estrogen out there; it's gonna blow up, any minute," argued Devin.

"I agree with Devin," whispered Vincent, "and since the first thing women do during a confrontation is seek out affirmation, it would be better for us all, but especially me, to withdraw, and go incommunicado." He slinked to the door, and slipped out.

"…yes, of course he should observe the customs of his people, but he is a member of this community, Sarah! And so is Catherine! This community has an interest in their marriage, and that absolutely has to be reflected in the ceremony!" Mary was raising her voice.

"Hmm, I'm torn, should I stay or should I go?" whispered Father.

"The Clash Conundrum," observed Mouse.

"Da-dada-da-da-DA. I just can't look away," murmured Pascal.

"And we can't do one ceremony after the other? Like, do the _Mayopelley_ ceremony, then follow it with ours?" asked Lisa.

"NO!" shouted Mary and Sarah.

Father and Devin finally sensed the danger, sidled to the door, and were out. The rest of the men lost heart, and crept out, also. The women were alone with their demons.

"Once the first ceremony is completed, they will be married. The second ceremony will be pointless," said Sarah.

"On that, we agree," said Mary.

_This should be right up my alley, but my mind is blank_, thought Catherine. _All the mergers I've brokered, and with the parties a hundred times angrier, and yet, I can't see a solution here. The problem is, there's no wiggle room. We can't incorporate one ceremony into the other, we can't do one after the other. They both have to be done at the same time; we'd have to be in two places at once…_

"Ladies," she said, "I'm going to make a suggestion, and I don't want anyone to speak after I make it. I want you to think about it, give it a few minutes to sink in, before anyone reacts." She spoke briefly; a wave of relief washed over the room; problem solved!

_Yeah, I've still got it…_she smiled.

~ oo ~

From across the yard, Vincent saw her, standing in front of their house, watching the crew apply the last finish coat of stucco. He walked over and put his arm around her shoulders; she put her arm around his waist. The timbers, the native stone, the stucco blended together to evoke an impression of strength, but also elegance.

They walked in the front door. Work was essentially complete; the house was empty. "My god, Vincent, it looks more like a work of art than a house," said Catherine. To the left, stairs rose, landed under a tall window, then quarter-turned to the right, rising again to the second story. The living room spread wide before them, the floor plan open. The hardwood floor was stained soft maple, and ran throughout the house. The fireplace rose up from the center of the room, continuing into the second floor. It was made of the same natural stone that had been used on the exterior. The kitchen was in the back corner, and the dining room was in the turret. Six huge windows in the turret showcased a beautiful panorama.

Slowly, they ascended the staircase. There were two bedrooms on the second level; the master was in the turret. They stepped in, and stopped. At one end of the room, a fireplace of the same stone, smaller than the one downstairs, but lovely. At the other end of the room, six windows were duplicated in the turret just as below, and the effect was breathtaking. It was like standing on a balcony, but there was also a feeling of movement—

"I feel as if I'm standing aboard a tall ship." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I can feel the ocean breeze in my hair; I can taste the sea salt on my lips."

"If the house is a ship, then our life is a journey," Vincent said softly. She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes. He was smiling at her.

Catherine recited:

_I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,_

_And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;_

_And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,_

_And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking,_

Vincent took her hands and replied:

_I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide_

_Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; _

_And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,_

_And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying._

"You are the star I steer by, Vincent," she whispered.

He kissed her very softly, then whispered back, "And you are my call that may not be denied."

He kissed her again; and then again.

"Marry me," she whispered.

"I will," he answered, and kissed her again.

He led her back out into the hallway and up the final flight of stairs. It landed to a hallway with a half-wall, leading back to the third bedroom directly above the master. Smaller than the master, but the six windows of the turret opened crystal portals on the vista beyond, and a child would surely call this his castle tower, or her walled fort, someday soon. The patter of rain on the metal roof would lull a child weary from play to sleep, while a cozy fire in the fireplace would cheer up the room.

By the time they returned to the ground level, Catherine was in tears. Vincent cradled her in his arms, trying to soothe her. Cullen was crossing the room just then, and choked. _Aw, she's used to living in mansions, she must be sick at the thought of_…

Catherine spotted him. She broke from Vincent and ran to him; she pulled him into an embrace. "It's so beautiful! I can't believe how beautiful…thank you, thank you…"

In the farm house after dinner, the women's dorm had been converted into a garment construction factory; the women sat together sewing bridesmaid's dresses.

"I'm so grateful to everyone for all the work they did on our house," Catherine said.

"We take care of each other," answered Emily, "as time goes by, you'll help everyone else, too."

"Maybe one of these days not too long from now we'll be working on your houses," she said.

The women smiled, shook their heads.

"What?" asked Catherine.

"Well, it's just very complicated," answered Emily. "You've got to go slowly, and take your time. You're deciding how you're going to spend the rest of your life, and your children's lives."

"You and Vincent are like soul-mates, or something," said Jennifer, and all the others murmured agreement. "You just knew you had to be together."

"I felt like I was in his arms, safe and loved, before I was really conscious," recollected Catherine. "He was so warm, so loving, so gentle…I woke up loving him."

"Sounds like a dream," said Claire. "A beautiful dream."

"Regretfully, it's not so clear for us," said Emily.

"I'm really attracted to Alby, but I'm attracted to Michael, too," said Brooke. "I think about life with Alby versus life with Michael, and to be perfectly honest with you, I really think life with Alby would be more passionate, more exciting, and the sex would be incredible. I think he'd be a good provider, we'd have a bunch of kids, and he'd take good care of all of us. But there are those in the commune that would resent me for choosing to marry outside my species. They would never be overt about it. They would secretly harbor resentment. That would hurt, so much. And then I think about life with Michael, and I realize that life would be easier, we could travel, he'd take good care of me and our kids, and we'd live a lifetime of love. But I'd never have the passion."

"If you married Alby, would he move into the commune?" asked Catherine.

"Sure, if we wanted to. We could have a house here, or we could have our own farm, or we could start a new community," Brooke answered.

"It's hard to know what to choose when you know you're choosing your life," said Emily. "Whatever you choose, you're opening a door to challenges, and closing the door on possibilities."

"Which is not to say that you won't have happiness and love and a great life," said Jennifer, "you just no longer have options."

"A girl's gotta choose carefully when she's choosing her options," said Mary. "You've gotta know yourself; you've gotta know what your priorities are."

"And what if you change your mind?" said Claire. "Over time, over the course of a lifetime, don't you change? Don't your priorities change?"

"I can only speak for myself," said Mary, "but the things I hold most dear today are the same things I held most dear when I was young. For me it's family."

"Cathy, your priorities changed a hundred and eighty degrees in a few weeks. Are you sure?" asked Claire.

Catherine smiled. "No, they didn't, they re-emerged. I've never been more sure of anything."


	4. Chapter Twelve - Nuptials

There was blankness, gray nothingness…she was floating through it…then there was sound, a shimmering, metallic _swoosh_…

There was white light, and Mariah Carey's disembodied voice was singing _Vision of Love_

_Treated me kind  
>Sweet destiny<br>Carried me through desperation  
>To the one that was waiting for me<br>It took so long  
>Still I believed<br>Somehow the one that I needed  
>Would find me eventually<em>

I had a vision of love  
>And it was all that you've given to me…<p>

…and she was in Vincent's arms…and these were his words to her…

_I had a vision of love  
>And it was all that you've given to me<br>I had a vision of love  
>And it was all that you<br>Turned out to be…_

"You found me," he said. "I am so grateful that you found me. Wake up, my love. Open your eyes: this is our wedding day."

Smiling, she opened her eyes and looked around. Rosy dawn filled the room. She threw back the covers, and jumped out of bed.

She ran to the great room where she knew she would find him. She jumped into his arms as though time and space had parted them for a long, long while. She rushed through showering and dressing. At the breakfast table, she was so excited she could hardly keep her food down.

"I feel like I'm about to explode," she said.

Vincent sat across the table from her. He looked up from his plate and a slow, wanton smile spread across his face. "Soon," he whispered.

The rest of the table fell silent.

Cullen cleared his throat. "Well," he addressed everyone except Catherine and Vincent, who had hypnotized each other, "I've got two things to say. One, have we stocked their house with groceries for two weeks? Because I'm not kidding, now, I really think it's going to take them at least two weeks, maybe three, to scratch that itch. And two, Claire, I want to talk to you, seriously, there is no reason why we should not be getting married."

"Cullen, you cannot rush me—˝ Claire started to answer.

"Okay, yeah, well, we're going to talk about how waiting a year for an answer is rushing," he answered.

"Okay," she answered, "I don't want to have this conversation in front of everyone. We'll talk."

"Okay," he answered.

"Emily," said Scott, "will you pencil me in on your calendar for today?" He turned his smile on high beam. Emily smiled back, and nodded.

Father looked up to see Roz staring at him.

~ oo ~

The women were busy in the dorm, getting Catherine ready. She wore a white robe while Jennifer styled her hair. Emily was arranging her make-up box, and Claire was looking over the nail polish. Roz was readying her cameras. Mary was looking over the itinerary; it filled a one inch binder.

"This is starting to feel like a royal wedding," said Catherine, looking at the binder.

Mary looked up and smiled at her. "Thank you, Catherine."

"I hope it hasn't been too much work."

"Too much? Good Lord, Cathy, we live for this! We love this!" exclaimed Mary.

~ oo ~

Vincent helped to greet and direct friends and relatives as they arrived from about ten o'clock when the first few started trickling in, until noon when the arrivals were coming in a steady flow. By the time the entire commune gathered, plus the _Mayopelley_ community, plus friends and relatives from the sister communes, there would be between two hundred fifty and three hundred people attending.

At noon, Vincent stopped for lunch. Lunch and the reception after the ceremony were being held in the lower level of the Meetinghouse. Every member of the commune had been pressed into service to prepare for the wedding. Forty members were helping William, and had assembled one hundred fifty box lunches, the number of commune members and guests they guessed would be present for lunch. Most of them ringed the room, eating lunch and waiting to clean up, then decorate for the reception. The rest were in the kitchen, helping William prepare the food.

"Where's the beer?" Ultan asked Vincent.

"No alcohol until after the ceremony," Vincent answered.

"Whose idea was that?" groused Ultan.

"Mine, after you poisoned me at that bachelor party " Vincent started, but was drowned out by laughter from the _Mayopelley_ males.

Mary came barreling through with Roz and Dana, gathering lunch for Catherine and the bridal party. "Vincent, be sure to watch your time," she admonished him.

"Yes, Mary," he answered meekly.

The _Mayopelley_ waited for Mary to exit, then began mocking him, echoing, "Yes, Mary," and laughing.

"He's practicing for married life!" yelled Tierney, and the others laughed.

"Yeah," said Vincent, "well, it's time to get dressed, so come on." He called out, "Father!" Two men stood up. "Yes," said Vincent, "both of you, if you would please come and get dressed now?"

~ oo ~

The men and the _Mayopelley_ males got dressed in the men's dorm of the farmhouse. The men wore black tuxedos. The _Mayopelley_ males wore long-sleeved, gold embroidered silk tunics with mandarin collars, black breeches, and black knee-high boots. Vincent's tunic was cranberry; the other males wore deep emerald tunics.

They walked to the Meetinghouse, and climbed the stairs to the second level. They made their way to the staging area outside the bride's dressing room. After a few minutes, the door opened, and bridesmaids began spilling out, dressed in olive green gowns. Then Catherine came out.

Time stopped, gravity failed. The universe contained Catherine and himself, and he had some doubts about himself. He was by her side, unaware of having taken a step.

"Catherine," he stammered, "…there are no words to describe how very beautiful you are." Her hair was styled in a loose updo with an elegant braid in back, a thin fringe of bangs on her brow, and tendrils falling from her temples. She wore a narrow glittering headband with a shoulder length veil attached in the back. Her face was perfect radiance, and she wore a pearl necklace and pearl earrings. Her gown was white lace with a bateau neckline, long lace sleeves, beaded lace covering the bodice, and a lace and silk skirt. It was floor length, had a natural waist, and a chapel train. Vincent had never seen a woman look so wonderful.

Vincent took Catherine's breath away. He wasn't just handsome, he was magnificent. _Magnificent_. His honey mane was brushed, and floated, wavy, around his head and down his back. His sparkling blue eyes and long eyelashes were stunning. His cheekbones were prominent, and strong. His powerful chest pushed against the tunic, and his muscular arms filled the sleeves; he wore a gold sash around his narrow waist. He wore black breeches, and knee length black boots…he looked like a prince who had just stepped out of a fairy tale. "You look magical," she whispered.

They half circled each other, and half-turned. She curtseyed; he bowed. He held out his hand, and she reached to take it, when Emily and Jennifer jumped in between them.

"Oh, no!" they cried.

"You two don't touch each other until after the reception!" cried Emily. "I spent an hour and two re-do's on that make-up, Cathy, and I won't have it ruined!"

"Ditto on the hair!" yelled Jennifer. "You better not break a sweat, Cathy, let alone turn Vincent loose!"

Roz snapped pictures of the confrontation.

The guests filled the chapel. The commune didn't use an altar, but the men had built a rectangular stage, twelve feet by eight feet, and two feet in height; there was one step up to the stage. Three arches were positioned center, left and right, and decorated with garlands of flowers and greenery. One center aisle led up to the stage.

Mary's watch read two o'clock straight up; she reviewed the wedding party one last time to make sure everyone was in the right place; she snarled at Catherine and Vincent to keep their hands to themselves; and then she gave the band the signal to start.

The band was composed of commune and _Mayopelley_ players, three guitars, drums, keyboard. At Mary's signal, they struck up a reggae version of _I Can't Help Falling in Love With You._ Winslow, Ultan, and Joan took the stage.

Kanin, as Best Man, and Lena, as Matron of Honor, entered dancing a two-step up the aisle, and at the altar, moved left in front of Winslow.

Lisa, Brooke, Claire, Jennifer, and Emily proceeded up the aisle with a dance choreographed in a style contemporary but balletic. They arranged themselves to the left of Lena.

The groomsmen, Mouse, Pascal, Randolph, Scott and Michael, proceeded next, with a modified version of the dance The Temptations performed when they sang _My Girl_. They arranged themselves to the right of Kanin.

Father and Mary came next, swing dancing. They stood in front of Winslow.

Rori and Lynda went next. Their first position was the traditional starting position, Rori holding Lynda's right hand with his left, his right hand at her waist, her left hand on his shoulder. Four left to right side steps, then they shifted to open position, arms stretched out in front, holding hands, and four left to right side steps, turning slightly, and moving down the aisle with each step. When they were about a fourth of the way down the aisle, and Donal and Portia started out, repeating all of Rori's and Lynda's steps. Tierney and Cindy started out when Donal and Portia were a fourth of the way down the aisle, repeating the same moves. Garrett and Juliet came next, when Tierney and Cindy were a fourth of the way down the aisle. When Rori and Lynda reached the front, all the males spun the women one turn. Rori and Lynda moved to the right in front of Ultan.

Catherine and Vincent stood in back, watching. Vincent's eyes were open wide, he smiled broadly with delight. "It's fantastic," whispered Catherine.

The other three couples resumed repeating the side steps, moving forward down the aisle, until Donal and Portia reached the front. Again, all the males gave the women a spin. Donal and Portia moved to the right, Donal to the right of Rori, Portia to the left of Lynda. Tierney and Cindy, and Garrett and Juliet repeated the pattern.

Riordan and Sarah started out next, swing dancing. They used all the same moves as the previous couples, but added side bumps. When they reached the front, they moved in front of Ultan.

Finally, Catherine and Vincent set out, swing dancing. They used side steps, side bumps, spins and slides. When they reached the front, they took center stage. The guests applauded enthusiastically.

"Thank you," said Vincent. "Welcome to our wedding."

"Thank you for coming," said Catherine.

"Today, as I, _Mayopelley_, and Catherine, human, join together, we will also blend a _Mayopelley_ ceremony with a human ceremony," said Vincent.

"We will have the traditional ceremony of the commune on the left, and the traditional ceremony of the _Mayopelley_ on the right, both at the same time," said Catherine.

"Riordan, Jacob, I grant you my proxy to stand in my place to marry Catherine," said Vincent.

"Mary, Sarah, I grant you my proxy to stand in my place to marry Vincent," said Catherine. Then they faced each other, and held hands.

Ultan and Joan officiated the _Mayopelley_ ceremony:

"Gathered family and friends, welcome," said Ultan, in _Mayopelley_. "We gather to join Catherine and Vincent in wedlock. From the dawn of our origins, we have believed that joining is a sacred event, and the most important passage each one of us will make in our lifetime."

Joan also spoke in _Mayopelley_, "Our ancestors fashioned our ceremony, and it still retains its true form today. Our ancestors knew that we were incomplete until we join. And we need only call to mind the happiness we feel in the love of our families to know how wise they were. We call on our ancestors to celebrate this joining with us, to bless this couple and their marriage."

"Catherine, Vincent," said Ultan, "once joined, it cannot be undone. You will share every feeling, and occasionally, even thoughts. Your hearts will beat together; when one stops, the other will as well. Joining together is sometimes difficult, and often requires sacrifice. We have asked you to look into your hearts, and tell us now, why you are certain you should be joined."

As Catherine's proxy, Sarah spoke, "I did not know trust until I knew Vincent. I did not know faith until I met him. He shines a light of excellence, and inspires me to follow. I love him with all my heart, I trust him with my life. My heart's desire is to bond with him, and become one heart, one soul." Her throat was tight by the time she finished speaking, and her eyes were misty.

As Vincent's proxy, Riordan spoke, "She is my melody, my song. She unlocked her heart, and let flow her sweetness, her kindness, and her love. She opened her heart for me. For me. Only for me. I shall hold her in my arms, lock her in my heart, and cherish her until the end of time." His voice dropped to its lowest register; a tear ran down Sarah's cheek.

"Let all who support this joining so indicate by the upraised hand," said Ultan. The guests were surprised that everyone in the chapel raised their hands, even the humans on the bride's side. Catherine and Vincent smiled. Rori and Lynda stepped to the candle sticks, Rori to the right of Riordan and Lynda to Sarah's left, and removed a taper; Rori presented his to Riordan, and Lynda presented hers to Sarah.

"Flame of love, burn pure and bright in the hearts of Catherine and Vincent," said Joan.

"Light of love, shine true and strong throughout their lives," said Ultan.

Sarah and Riordan walked past Joan and Ultan to a candle stand on the stage behind them. They used their two candles to light the single candle on the stand, and then they returned to their places, candles still burning. They turned to Rori and Lynda, and passed their candles to them. Sarah and Riordan faced each other, and joined hands. They and Catherine and Vincent bowed their heads, touching foreheads for several seconds.

"As these two flames have joined and become one, so now have your two hearts joined," said Joan. "Catherine and Vincent, two separate souls before, now you are one."

Catherine and Vincent opened their eyes, wide. Catherine felt her heart palpitate, and felt short of breath. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Can you feel my heart singing?" Vincent whispered. Catherine smiled and nodded.

Sarah and Riordan pulled away from each other. Rori presented Riordan with his candle and a rose, as Lynda did Sarah.

At the same time, Winslow was officiating the Commune ceremony:

"Welcome, friends," he began. "On this day we celebrate the marriage of Catherine and Vincent, two people, separate, unique, individual. But in marriage, they will join; they will come together, and be two separate people no longer, but instead one soul, joined in marriage.

"We believe that the spirit of love that sustains us all, that created us all, and to which we shall return at the end of our earthly life is here with us today, joyfully sharing in our celebration, like the Loving Mother she is. Marriage is the gift our Loving Mother gave us to help us understand our relationship with her, to show us that when two people come together and join their hearts, it is the most holy of unions. When we reach the end of our lives, and return to Loving Mother to join our hearts together with hers and with all our brothers and sisters for all eternity, that will be the most sacred of all unions. Marriage is the symbol of that perfect, eternal, sacred union.

"Catherine, what promises do you make Vincent?"

Mary, as Catherine's proxy, said, "Vincent, I promise that I will always be by your side, to encourage you and restore you. I promise to be honest with you, to respect you, to dream with you, and to love you, every day of my life in this world, and the next."

"Vincent," asked Winslow, "what promises do you make Catherine?"

Father, as Vincent's proxy, said, "Catherine, when I lose faith in myself, I promise to believe in your faith in me. When my strength fails me, I promise to renew my strength from yours. All the gifts you offer me, I promise to accept. I promise to do these things every day of my life in this world, and the next."

Winslow addressed the guests, "All those in favor of Catherine and Vincent joining, let them so indicate by the upraised hand." Everyone, even the _Mayopelley_, raised their hands to the surprise of the guests. Catherine and Vincent smiled. "As a community, we promise to do all we can to sustain and support your marriage," said Winslow.

Kanin gave Father Catherine's ring. Father said to Mary, "With this ring I thee wed, with all that I have and all that I am. Wear it, and remember that as a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you."

Lena gave Mary Vincent's ring. Mary said to Father, "With this ring I thee wed, with all that I have and all that I am. Wear it, and remember that as a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you."

Father and Mary, and Riordan and Sarah crossed the stage to Catherine and Vincent. Mary took the ring off her finger and gave it to Vincent; he put it on Catherine's hand. Father took the ring off his finger and gave it to Catherine; she put it on Vincent. Sarah and Riordan presented Catherine and Vincent with the candles and roses. Catherine and Vincent blew out the candles. Father and Mary, and Riordan and Sarah returned to their places. Winslow and Ultan joined Catherine and Vincent.

Ultan spoke in _Mayopelley_, "Family, friends, let us welcome Catherine and Vincent into our community, and celebrate with them their joining."

Winslow spoke, "By the authority granted to me by this community I introduce Catherine and Vincent as a newly joined couple."

The entire gathering applauded. The band struck up One Republic's _Counting Stars_, and Catherine and Vincent led the wedding party procession out.

~ oo ~

The receiving line took a ridiculously long time to advance. A sampling of conversation from the end of the line to the top:

"This has got to be the world's longest receiving line," Randolph whispered to Pascal.

"Twenty-nine people long, three hundred guests, we'll be here for hours," Scott whispered to Michael.

"Someone needs to tell Catherine to quit pouring her heart out to every single person," whispered Jennifer to Emily.

Cullen hugged each bridesmaid. "Claire, I'll save you a seat," he said meaningfully. "Oh, God," sighed Claire.

"Mouse, I'll save you a seat," said Jamie as she came through the line. Mouse smiled wide.

"Mary, has this event awakened any desires?" Father asked.

"Maybe…what about you?" she answered.

"Oh, maybe," he answered, watching Roz taking pictures.

"You'd better close the deal with Brooke," said Donal to Alby. "She and Michael are getting pretty cozy."

"That was so beautiful!" said Juliet.

"I'm so jealous, my ceremony was so plain," said Portia.

"Oh, my God! I'm going to make Catherine plan my anniversary party!" cried Cindy.

"So that's the last one," Riordan whispered to Sarah.

"More grandchildren to spoil," answered Sarah.

At first, Vincent and Catherine had both heartily wished they could skip the reception, and close themselves up in their house. But as they greeted one guest after another, and Vincent introduced each one to Catherine and shared a memory, some funny, some warm, some sad, the happier they were to be there, sharing their day with their loved ones.

~ oo ~

The front door swung open, and he carried her in.

"Welcome home, Catherine," he said.

"Welcome home, Vincent," she said, and they kissed.

He set her down and closed the door. "Catherine, you are a genius. How did you get the idea to run both ceremonies at the same time?"

"I was listening to Mary and Sarah arguing when we were trying to plan it, and the thought occurred to me that we would have to be in two places at the same time to make them happy. The thought of using proxies just came to me."

"Well, it was wonderful…wonderful."

Her throat tightened a bit. "Thank you. That means so much to me."

"Was it what you wanted?" he asked, suddenly concerned. "You placated Mary and Sarah, I was delighted, but was it what you wanted?"

"Oh, yes, Vincent, yes. I can't imagine anything I would've been happier with. I'm glad we had the problem because it led to such a very lovely solution. And we got to watch it all, and see our guests at the same time."

"You know, the only part that scared me was the dancing entrance. But then when everyone did it…it was amazing."

"If you hadn't told me, I would never have guessed."

"Yes," he said, "but once I saw everyone making their entrance, I felt as though the dancing was adding an element of, I don't know, I want to say formality."

"Making it more of a ritual," suggested Catherine.

"Yes, like it was part of the ritual," agreed Vincent. He took her hand. "I'd like to add something, right now. I would like to say, with his ring I thee wed, and seal it with a kiss." He kissed the ring and her finger.

"I'd like to repeat something," she answered. "I love you with all my heart. My heart's desire is to bond with you, and become one heart, one soul."

He pulled her close. "Catherine, you are my melody," he whispered.

"Beloved, you are my vision of love. I promise to always stay by your side, to restore you, to love you."

"I promise to drink deep from the wellspring of your faith in me. I promise to accept the gifts you bring me."

She lifted her train, took his hand and led him upstairs.

~ oo ~

Roz sat at a table, sipping tomato juice. Father sat down beside her.

"This wedding was one for the books," she said.

"I thought it was wonderful."

"It was very pretty."

"A very creative solution to a very difficult problem."

"I agree."

Father watched her take a sip of tomato juice.

"There's no alcohol in it," she said, only slightly defensively.

"I'm not checking up on you."

"I've been clean for sixty days."

"That's fantastic, Roz."

"I paid off all my warrants."

"All of them?"

"Yes, every one of them."

"Roz, I'm impressed."

After a moment she said, "Jacob, I thought maybe we could go for pizza, sometime."

He hesitated.

"It's just pizza, Jacob. Just pizza and talk."

He smiled. "Let's do it this week. Is Wednesday good?"

She smiled. "Wednesday is good."

~ oo ~

"No, Claire, I mean let's set a date, now." Cullen was resolute.

"What do you mean, 'now'? I can't, off the top of my head "

"It's not off the top of your head, Claire. We've been talking about this, literally, for a year. Do you want to marry me, or not?"

"Well, yes, Cullen, yes I do."

"But?"

"What?"

"But what's holding us back? Why can't we say we're going to get married next month, or in two months, or three?"

"Well, fine, then, let's say we're going to get married in six months."

He looked at her for a moment. The cold brick of reality sank into the pit of his stomach. "No. No, Claire. I'm not going to wait six months."

She closed her eyes, and tears spilled out. "Cullen…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I just can't do it."

He nodded, and quietly got up and left. Lisa sat down next to Claire, and put her arm around her shoulders.

~ oo ~

The band was playing _Love Me Do_, and Scott and Emily were swing dancing. The song ended, and Scott asked her, "How many kids do you want?"

"Two," she answered. "When do you want to start?"

He pulled her close and kissed her. "Right now," he said.

~ oo ~

Jennifer and Hugh were also dancing to _Love Me Do_. When the song ended, Hugh said, "Let's get a drink." They drank, ate, talked and laughed.

~ oo ~

Lou finally spotted Mary. He grabbed two glasses of punch and made his way to her table.

"Mary, another triumph!"

"Thanks, Lou. Here's to triumphs." They drank.

"So, catch me up on what's new," said Mary. Lou lived in one of the sister communes. He started sharing details of current events, and several of the older members joined the table to listen.

~ oo ~

She woke up in the dark. The clock radio read 2:38. Her eyes were burning, and she had to pee. She slid carefully away from Vincent.

She flicked on the bathroom light, and squinted in the brightness. She availed herself of the commode, and while she washed her hands, she surveyed her smeared make-up in the mirror above the vanity. She heard a light knocking on the door.

She swung it open. "Aw, sorry, babe, I didn't mean to wake you," she said softly.

He leaned down and still half asleep, gave her a sloppy kiss. "No," he mumbled, "had to pee."

She glanced over as he availed himself. As she started pulling hair pins out, she observed his procedure.

He noticed her watching. "Yes?"

She looked away. "Sorry. I was curious; male bathroom habits are a mystery."

He half grunted half chuckled. "As are female habits, to me," he said. He finished, closed his pajama bottoms, closed the lid and sat on it. "May I watch you?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. She double checked for hair pins, and not finding any more, pulled off the fall Jennifer had pinned into her hair; Vincent gave a yelping cry as she did. She froze. He jumped up and peered into her head.

"It's a wig," she explained.

"Oh, my god," he breathed. "I thought you were pulling your head apart."

She bit her lips, but couldn't hold back. She burst out laughing. He smiled and shook his head. He washed his hands. "My curiosity is sated. I'm getting a snack." He left the bathroom.

She removed her eye make-up with baby oil, and washed her face. She brushed her hair, and the curls stiffened with hair spray relaxed into soft waves. She descended the stairs, and met Vincent, seated at the kitchen table.

He held out his hands to her, and pulled her onto his lap, facing him. "Here," he said offering her one of the cheese smeared crackers he was eating. She let him feed it to her.

She smiled while she was chewing. He fixed himself another cracker, but she took it out of his hand, and held it to his lips. He smiled, and allowed her to feed him.

She pulled an apple out of the fruit basket on the table, got up and fished in a drawer for a paring knife. She returned to her position on his lap, and fed him a few slices of apple.

She cut off another apple slice, and held it between her lips. She leaned close to Vincent's lips; kissing her, he took the apple from her.

Suddenly, she broke out in a sweat. She looked up and saw the raw animal hunger she was feeling reflected in his eyes. Ever so slightly, she bared her teeth at him.

His pupils dilated. Slowly, he stood, lifting her with him. He climbed the stairs with her nipping his neck, biting his lower lip.

~ o ~

She whispered, "I saw fireworks."

"Thank goodness," he whispered back, "I was wondering if I was having a stroke."

"I feel like I'm floating," she murmured. He kissed her hair, her forehead, her cheeks. "Hey, I need to tell you something. Uh, actually…hmmm…"

"Trouble concentrating? Here, let me help," he said softly, brushed his lips across her neck, and caressed her body.

"Okay, let me say this: children." She threw it out there, to see where it landed.

For a split second, he froze. Then he kissed her chin, and gently bit her lower lip. "What about children?" he tried to ask casually.

"Naw, you're busted. You want those kids, I can feel it. _I felt it. _I've been feeling it for days. So, ah, you know, I got that birth control, but, ah, you know, I never started taking it "

He froze again, but this time pulled back and looked at her. "Almost since I made you promise that we'd wait to start a family, I've been thinking about how much you want children. I could feel it, Vincent, I didn't need our bond, it was so obvious. So every day I thought about taking those pills, and that I'd better start taking them, I'd tell myself to get up and take one, but then I'd think of you, and…I just never did."

He kissed her tenderly, deeply. "I will _adore_ our children…just as I _adore_ you, Beloved."

"And I adore you, Beloved."

Just outside their windows, the full moon glowed gentle blue enchantment, and the stars twinkled their sweet song. A soft night breeze wafted across the farm. The people of the commune slept restful, peaceful sleep, safe, secure. Life was sweet and life was good.


End file.
